LOCATION: Southampton, MA

PROGRAM: TOWN MASTER PLAN

STATUS: PrESENTED 2009. winner of people’s choice award.

Southampton, MA  is a town in Pioneer Valley, a historic area with an agricultural past that was experiencing pressure to develop and change the zoning of much of its agricultural land to single-family residential, due to its desirability as a retirement destination. Yet its agricultural essence was the thing that drew those same people to the area. An ideas competition was developed to help the area flesh out that catch–22. Our solution, which won a people’s choice award was called Bet on the Farm and focused on using Smart-Growth principles to create density in the village center where people live and work as close to home as possible, thereby limiting travel-time, creating meaningful places for communities, and conserving open space for recreation and wildlife habitats. Southampton’s historic town center lacked a vibrant core with services to attract residents and create density. We proposed that the town utilize existing historic buildings to serve as anchors around which to build a revitalized center, with pedestrian paths and amenities for residents. 

Given the town’s stated desire to protect its agricultural heritage from the encroachment of suburban development, our proposal was that Southampton Bet on the Farm. As the country is currently undergoing a small-farm renaissance, particularly in New England, Southampton can use its agricultural heritage to attract visitors, create jobs, and income. By creating an education facility for food and agriculture, a farmer’s market, a community garden and teaching farm, in addition to more traditional town amenities and improvements, such as housing, commercial space, and more cohesive landscaping, the new town center will become at once a magnet for visitors and a meaningful place for residents to work, shop, and play.